There are many excellent compositions on the cosmetic market, the greater part of which are based on synthetic elements. The skin regenerating compositions produced by the cosmetic factories improve the condition of the skin surface due to their fat and water content. Recently also the use of active ingredients of plant origin is discussed and cosmetic compositions containing herb extracts are on the market as well. The plant residues, which are obtained during the processing of agricultural cultivated plants and mainly as waste in the preserves industry, were not examined in view of the applicability in the cosmetic industry.
The object of the present invention was to obtain plant pieces possibly obtained as waste during the processing of agricultural cultivated plants, the extraction of which results in skin regenerating and hydrating active ingredient solutions.
The maize plant (Zea mays) was chosen for this aim. Maize is an industrial plant which came in Europe from America in 1493 and is known in Europe and now also in America mainly as a cultivated plant. It is cultivated to obtain grains, whereas the hypsophyll consisting of hard fibers, the corn-cob, corn-stalk and corn-silk (corn-beard) are discarded as usual waste.
Due to its mechanical effect the flour obtained from corn-cob has already been used in tooth pastes (HU-PS 118,580), for preparing small sticks for tooth polishing (DE-PS 656,808) and as adsorptive powders for drying exudates in the case of skin diseases caused by exudative dermatitis (U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,890,151 and 3,278,383). Corn-cob flour is also used for treating skin diseases of acne origin (U.S. Pat. No. 3,530,217). No data are, however, described in these patent specifications relating to skin regenerating or hydrating effect of aqueous or alcoholic solutions prepared from corn-cob, corn-cob flour is not used for this purpose. Hair lotion is prepared from the filament of the maize plant according to U.K. Patent No. 856,914; a composition against loss of hair may be prepared from the extract of Artemisia to which optionally also maize beard deception is added (U.K. Patent No. 2,060,378). The skin regenerating and hydrating effects of the maize beard were not, however, examined, and so a composition for this purpose was not produced.